Wet/Dry Filter sizes?
- Thread starter Jintz
- Start date
Hi Jintz
[welcome]
Sure you can but using a sump is better than using a wet/dry. A tank with plenty of LR and a DSB will give far fewer problems than a tank with an external biological filter. See The New Tank Thread for details.
[welcome]
Sure you can but using a sump is better than using a wet/dry. A tank with plenty of LR and a DSB will give far fewer problems than a tank with an external biological filter. See The New Tank Thread for details.
Thanks for the warm welcome!
Im probably going to start off on a wet/dry filter and if I have problems Ill take out the bio balls. Im probably going to start with some live rock and ls but as you know lr can be expensive and its going to take some time to fill up my 120g tank. I am a beginner but ive been reading all about SW keeping for the last month or so.
I was going to go with a 150 wet/dry but I was wondering if there would be any problems with going a bit bigger on the wet/dry say like a 300? I have my lights on order and the LR and LS will have to wait a bit....then I can start my first cycle.
Another question...is it ok to add LR say 50 lbs at a time or should I just wait to get it all at once? Does it mess up the cycle each time you add LR or does it start a new cycle when you have to cure additional LR?
Im probably going to start off on a wet/dry filter and if I have problems Ill take out the bio balls. Im probably going to start with some live rock and ls but as you know lr can be expensive and its going to take some time to fill up my 120g tank. I am a beginner but ive been reading all about SW keeping for the last month or so.
I was going to go with a 150 wet/dry but I was wondering if there would be any problems with going a bit bigger on the wet/dry say like a 300? I have my lights on order and the LR and LS will have to wait a bit....then I can start my first cycle.
Another question...is it ok to add LR say 50 lbs at a time or should I just wait to get it all at once? Does it mess up the cycle each time you add LR or does it start a new cycle when you have to cure additional LR?
BurntOutReefer
New member
add all your rock at once if you can....also....what you keeping?
FOwLR?...if so, the the w/d is a perfect system for you....go with the 150 as It will be easier to re-sell if you ever need to.
FOwLR?...if so, the the w/d is a perfect system for you....go with the 150 as It will be easier to re-sell if you ever need to.
Im going to start FOWLER but at the very most 1 LPS coral like a bubble since I like it so much but that will be in the future. Maybe some shrooms and a few polyps. Nothing too fancy.
My LFS has a 200 reef and still has a wet/dry so it it works then Ill stick with it...if not ill switch it up.
My LFS has a 200 reef and still has a wet/dry so it it works then Ill stick with it...if not ill switch it up.
drummereef
Team RC
It would be better for you to save your money now and buy all the live rock together to start the tank then to work backwards a couple months down the road. Don't waste your money on a wet/dry filter if you are going to eventually convert it to a reef. And by reef I mean.... even if you have one rock of shrooms it's still a reef, it's no longer a fowlr (fish only/live rock). My suggestion, save your dough and do it right the first time. 
drummereef
Team RC
An empty tank of your choice. Cut some acrylic baffles, silicone them in, and bam! Instant sump.
Check it out here -
http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/sumps/glass/
drummereef
Team RC
Yep. I'd start without the bio-balls if it were me. Bio balls are a nitrate magnet. The only reason why I'm suggesting the other route is its really cheaper to do and is more flexible. You can arrange the sump how YOU want it, not the manufacturer. But, if you already own the wet/dry then you could just take out the balls.
I dont own a wet/dry but I was planning on purchasing one. My LFS has a wet dry with nothing but corals in it. If its bad then why is his tank so nice 
As for the DIY sump...thats a great idea. Except I havent the first clue about making one. I think I might be getting a little ahead of myself though. Im just a beginner. I wont make mine a reef until later on....like maybe a year or so. I want to be able to keep a stable tank first.
As for the DIY sump...thats a great idea. Except I havent the first clue about making one. I think I might be getting a little ahead of myself though. Im just a beginner. I wont make mine a reef until later on....like maybe a year or so. I want to be able to keep a stable tank first.
drummereef
Team RC
That's cool. I'm just trying to save you the headache down the road. Once you have a nitrate problem it's a real pain in the rear to get those levels down. Starting off right in this regard will save you later. I don't know why they even push wet/dry filters anymore. I had one and hated it for the very reason I mentioned. It doesn't matter if you have corals or not you can approch your tank as if it were a reef just the same. Your fish will thank you for it. I kept a fowlr for years before I added my first coral. I wish I would have known what I know to day back then. I could have saved a lot of money, time, and fishies lives because of it.
Just check out Melev's site for sump ideas. It's really not hard at all. Especially the glass tank sumps. All you need to do is put in some baffles and you are good to go.
Here's the link - www.melevsreef.com
Just check out Melev's site for sump ideas. It's really not hard at all. Especially the glass tank sumps. All you need to do is put in some baffles and you are good to go.
Here's the link - www.melevsreef.com
Lotus99
Active member
A sump/refugium is just as good for a FOWLR tank. There's really no point in going for a wet/dry filter if you even think you might want corals in there. Even a FOWLR tank will benefit greatly from the low nitrates of a sump/fuge setup.
Your store may also sell some ready-made sump/refugium sets, but it's a lot cheaper to make your own, and that way you can decide how much room to allow for each section.
Your store may also sell some ready-made sump/refugium sets, but it's a lot cheaper to make your own, and that way you can decide how much room to allow for each section.
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